The Secret Room
by princess peanut
Summary: A hunt in a graveyard turns out not to be what it seems. And why is Dean having strange dreams?Now Complete!
1. Chapter 1

Here I go again! My muse is back and we are just addicted to writing these guys. This takes place sometime during season 2. Doesn't follow any particular episode.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything from Supernatural; not making any money (bummer)!

Warning: Spoilers for both seasons and some bad language.

Chapter 1:

Darkness and cold. Those were the only two sensations he could feel at the moment. He stood perfectly still, the only sound he could hear was the soft hiss of his own breath. He took a cautious step forward, his foot finding solid ground. He placed his arms out to the sides and his hands found walls. Cold walls that felt like damp stone. He took three more steps forward. He had no idea what way he was facing or where he was. But he knew he was underground. He could tell just from the smell alone. That musty damp dirt smell. It wasn't a comforting thought.

As he was about to take another step forward a light began to glow in front of him. As it moved towards him it began to illuminate the entire area, showing him the tunnel he was in. In the middle of the light a shape began to form. As he watched, a little boy appeared. He looked around ten years old. Kinda like his brother when he was little. That dark hair and sweet puppy dog eyes. That look of innocence that gets lost as everyone gets older. He found himself staring at the child. Not able to look away.

"Help us." the child pleaded in a small voice.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Please open the door." the little boy said.

"What door? Who are you?" he repeated.

"You have to help us. You protect the kids like us, just like you protect him. Please open the door." the child pleaded, turning to look over his shoulder as he spoke.

He looked up also but couldn't see what the boy was looking at. "I will help you, but you have to tell me what's going on!" he said in a frustrated voice. The air was changing around him. The peaceful silence was leaving and there was now a hum in the tunnel. He could feel the tension building. He could also feel the fear coming from the little boy.

"What's going on! Tell me how to help!" he shouted.

Suddenly the little boy disappeared and everything was dark once again. Except the buzzing noise was now loud and shrill, piercing his ears.

Dean jerked awake with a loud gasp. He opened his eyes to see tree leaves and the night sky above him, stars twinkling brightly. For a moment he was shocked. What the hell was he doing on the ground? He had forgotten where he was. He sighed and rubbed his eyes as he sat up, looking out into the cemetery. How could he have fallen asleep? He looked around, almost expecting to see the little boy somewhere. But no, it was just a dream. A very vivid and disturbing dream, but just a dream. All except for that ringing. He rolled his eyes, reaching into his jacket and pulling out his cell phone.

"Yeah?"

"What took you so long to answer!" Sam shouted. "I've been calling for like five minutes!"

"Don't get your panties in a bunch Sam." Dean retorted.

"Excuse me for being worried. I was just about to make my way back to you. Is everything okay?"

"Fine Sam. Everything's quiet at my end." Dean said, standing and looking around the cemetery. Actually, he couldn't be sure everything was cool. He had been asleep after all. Damn, he could kick himself for pulling a stupid stunt like that.

"So what took you so long to answer the phone!" Sam asked again, obviously frustrated.

"Had to dig it out of my pocket!" Dean shouted. "Look Sam, tonight's a bust. Let's meet back at the car all right?"

Sam puffed out a loud sigh, "Fine. Be there in five minutes."

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Dean sighed too and pocketed the phone. So much for the hunt tonight. He picked up his bag and began to make his way back to Sam, who was sure to be standing next to the car brooding. The boy really was way too tense.

Dean kicked up grass and dirt as he walked. He hadn't really counted on catching anything tonight. But it would have been nice to get the hunt over with. No matter what he told Sam, he didn't really love working in cemeteries all night. But there was too much going on here to ignore, and they would be staying until it was settled.

For the last six months there had been twelve disappearances in this cemetery. All teenagers and younger kids. And that was where the commonality ended. The disappearances didn't happen on specific dates or days, and day or night didn't matter. All of these kids had simply vanished, with no trace left behind.

The cemetery had been around for a long time. The oldest headstone was dated 1814. But it hadn't been abandoned. Instead, it had grown. And now the damn thing was acres big. Sam had found a few urban legends about the place being haunted by spirits. But nothing that really explained the disappearances of the kids. And none of these kids were the type to pull stunts on their parents either. They were all good kids with clean histories and no reason to believe that they would run off. They were just gone. And to make matters worse the place was becoming famous. Now kids were daring each other to run through the place to see if they could make it out the other side. And that was how the last girl vanished. She went in and her friends were going to meet her on the other side, but she never showed up.

He and Sam both had ideas and theories, but nothing they could put a solid lock on. So they had decided to split up and check the place out. But since whatever was going on didn't stick to any type of time table, they had no idea how many nights they'd have to be here.

As the Impala came into view Dean could see Sam. And yep, the kid was leaning against the car with his arms crossed, foot tapping an uneven beat on the ground.

Sam raised his eyebrows as Dean approached. "Took you long enough. Old age catchin' up with ya? Slowin' you down?" he teased.

"Not in the mood for you right now Sam." Dean snapped, throwing his bag into the trunk. He was feeling tired and irritable and he didn't know why. He did know that he couldn't shake the dream he had. He just had a weird feeling that made him shiver. He felt tense but he couldn't explain it.

"You're pissy." Sam said. When Dean didn't say anything and just got into the car, Sam followed. "So really, why didn't you answer your phone?"

Dean shook his head. "I told you already."

Sam snorted. "Yeah you did. Now why don't you tell me the truth. It didn't take five minutes to dig it out of your pocket Dean."

Dean stared at Sam. "You have serious obsessive compulsive issues, you know that?"

Sam laughed. "It runs in the family. Nothing happened out there right?"

Dean let his head droop down to the steering wheel. Sam wouldn't shut up. He wouldn't let it go. And lately, his lying radar was right on, especially when it came to him. Dean just couldn't seem to lie to him anymore. So fine, he wanted the truth, then fine.

"I fell asleep." Dean mumbled.

Sam was taken back. "What?"

"I said I fell asleep okay!" Dean shouted, sitting up straighter.

Sam stared at him silently for a minute. Dean couldn't read the expression on his face. Then suddenly Sam burst out laughing.

"What!" Dean said angrily.

"You fell asleep dude! It's what? Not even midnight. Geez Dean, you really are getting old if you need naps." He couldn't stop laughing.

"Just shut up Sam." Dean said seriously. "I just drifted off for a second. It was nothing."

Sam was coughing from laughing so hard and was trying to get himself under control. "Man, I think I peed my pants."

"Good, you deserve it." Dean retorted. He turned the ignition and put the car into gear. "Let's head back to the motel."

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Dean had been staring at the printout for almost thirty minutes now, not having read a single word on the paper. He just couldn't shake the dream. He kept berating himself for falling asleep in the first place. And now he was just angry that some stupid dream was bugging him this much. But it just felt so real. Like there was some reason for it. He couldn't get the image of that kid out of his head. And he kept wondering what the kid meant by wanting him to open the door. He shook his head. It was just a stupid dream. He wasn't Sam. His dreams didn't mean anything.

"So is that page just really interesting or what?" Sam asked.

Dean looked up to find Sam staring at him from behind the laptop. Sam was sitting at the small table with his freaky long legs stretched out onto another chair. "What?" Dean asked.

Sam's eyes narrowed as he looked at his brother. He could tell there was something on Dean's mind. "You've been looking at that same page for like a half hour man. What are you thinking about?"

"Just trying to figure this case out." Dean said.

Sam shook his head. "Dude, I know you. I can tell when you're working and when something's bugging you. So what's up?"

Dean shrugged and moved his eyes back to the paper trying to stifle a yawn. "Nothing." he mumbled.

Sam regarded him for a minute. His brother looked tired. Sam could see his jaw muscle working overtime. He had a feeling something happened back at that cemetery. Now the trick would be getting Dean to admit it.

"You know I was just joking earlier man. I mean, don't beat yourself up over falling asleep. I was having trouble staying awake too. It was boring sitting out there alone."

Dean's gaze snapped up. "I told you, I didn't fall asleep. I just drifted off for a minute. No big deal."

Sam raised his hands, "Hey didn't say it was. I'm sorry okay." Sam watched as Dean only nodded. "So, you sure nothing happened out there."

Dean just glared at his brother.

Sam decided it was time for a new tactic. A low blow, but he could see right through his brother.

"I mean, if something happened you would tell me right? Cause, if not, leaving something out of a hunt could end badly, right? I mean, you wouldn't want us to go in unprepared. I need to know what's going on to stay alive, right?"

Sam could see the immediate reaction. Dean's entire body went rigid and his jaw clenched. He was playing dirty pool, but that was pretty much the only way to get his big brother to just tell him the problem. Ever since Dean had opened up to him the last few times since their Dad had died it was harder and harder to get Dean to open up. And especially since Dean told him what their Dad said before he died, and he had to open his big mouth and make Dean promise to kill him if necessary, Dean's walls had become fortified. He did his best to only show Sam the big brother protector that nothing bothered. He was making sure Sam knew he would be protected by him.

Of course, Sam had no doubt about his brother's love for him, or his fierce loyalty and protection. Sam felt bad enough he asked Dean to make that promise. But it needed to be done just in case. He was having a hard enough time trying to deal with daily life with this unknown future looming over him. He didn't want the weight of it to drag his brother down too. And he didn't want Dean to think he needed to continue to hide behind his walls. Sam was glad when Dean had opened up to him, and wished he would do it more. Of course, all that was easier said than done. Dean may have let his walls down those few times rather easily, at least to Sam, but now they were harder than ever to get past. So if Sam needed to play dirty, he would.

"Dean? You gonna answer me?" Sam prodded.

"You find anything else?" Dean asked instead.

"Maybe." Sam answered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean asked.

"It means, yes. I found something I think we should check out, and I'll tell you about when you tell me what's bothering you."

"I can look at it myself Sam."

Sam shrugged. "You could, but I'll delete it first and then you'll have to search for it. That would be wasting time."

Dean bit his lip. Sam was asking for it. And he was tempted to get up and slap him upside the head. But good old little brother wouldn't let it go anyway.

"Fine." Dean sighed. "I just had this weird dream that I can't get out of my head okay."

"What kind of dream?" Sam asked, pulling his legs down and sitting up.

Dean rolled his eyes. With Sam sitting there looking all concerned and him laying on the bed, he felt like he was in a shrink's office. But instead of aggravating his brother more, Dean just recounted the dream. "I don't even know why I fell asleep. I mean, I wasn't tired. But when I laid back against the tree, it's like I couldn't keep my eyes open. And then I was in that dream."

Sam sat silently, chewing on his thumb nail. "And the kid just kept asking you to open the door?"

"Yeah. But it was just a dream. A stupid dream, nothing more." Sam didn't say anything back, he just turned to his laptop. Curiously Dean got up and went to see what he was looking at. "What Sam?"

"I think it may have been more than a dream." Sam said turning the screen to him.

-TBC-

Thanks for reading, please let me know what you thought!


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry about the delay folks! Work has been a bear! But I promise to update faster this time.

So, thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read. And a special thanks for all the wonderful reviews. I take each one to heart and they give me motivation to keep going!

So please, keep them coming!

Chapter 2:

"Give me a break Sam. I thought after the Hellhound website you were done looking at this amateur crap."

Sam rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. His brother was the most pig headed person he had met in his entire life. "Dean. Listen to me for a just a minute. Forget about the stupid website. The fact is, this girl said the same thing happened to her. She went out there to visit her parent's graves. She suddenly felt tired and couldn't stay awake. She fell asleep and had a weird dream about a little boy and a door."

"And then she woke up to something trying to strangle her. That didn't happen to me Sam."

"Maybe it just didn't have time." Sam shrugged, not really liking the way that sounded.

Dean paced back and forth for a little while, trying his best to ignore his little brother's stare. "It was just a stupid dream." Dean insisted.

"Dean, why is it so hard to accept that maybe something was trying to reach out to you?" Sam asked.

Dean stilled his pacing, running his hand over his head. "We don't even know what's going on out there Sam. We have no idea if something needs help. The only thing we know is kids are disappearing."

Sam turned back to his computer. "Yeah, that's the other thing I found. Come look at this."

Dean made his way to stand behind his brother.

"So I was searching and I found this site that has really old myths and stories about cults and stuff." Sam clicked a few keys. "Look at this."

Dean looked at the screen and read the headline at the top of the page.

'**These were special children.'**

"It's a journal. I found it on a website that's about a cult. A local cult. They practiced near here for a few years until the town decided to get rid of them."

"And how did they do that?" Dean asked.

"Law enforcement and the cult got into a huge shoot out. We're talking just like Waco man. According to the sheriff's department they were all killed. But none of their victims were ever found. And their victims were children."

Dean began to pace again. He hated dealing with cults. Stupid idiots who played with the dark side, and no idea the full consequences of their actions.

"And what did they do to these kids?" Dean wasn't sure he really wanted to know.

Sam hesitated, looking over the screen again. "That I don't know. There's no information on it."

"And you think that's what's going on now?"

Sam shrugged and sighed. "I don't know Dean. There's no evidence there's any human involvement. But damn if I can figure out what's happening."

Dean sat down on the bed, putting his elbows on his knees and perching his head on his hands. "That girl. The one who had the dream. What happened to her?"

Sam was silent. He looked up to find Dean staring intently at him. "She went back the next day."

"And?" Dean asked when Sam didn't continue.

"She was found dead on top of her parent's grave."

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"What are you looking at?" Dean asked the little boy as he followed him down the barely lit tunnel.

"The bad man." The little boy whispered.

Dean looked up then and looked around them but he didn't see anything. "What's your name?"

"Sam."

Dean's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

But instead of answering the little boy asked, "Will you open the door?"

"What door?" Dean asked.

The little boy turned his face up, his eyes wide with fear, "That's where they keep us."

"All the children that have disappeared?"

Little Sam nodded. "But you're going to help us cause you protect kids like us. Like you protect your brother."

Dean halted to a stop. "How do you know about my brother?"

"He's special too. And you protect him. Just like all the older brothers and sisters."

Dean's blood had turned cold. "What are you talking about?"

But the little boy began to flicker. "The bad man is coming." he whispered and then disappeared.

Dean bolted up in bed, his body covered in a cold sweat. It took a minute for everything to come into focus, but then he realized it was another dream. He was still in the motel room. He shook his head to try and clear it. The clock on the night stand glowed 2 am. He could hear Sam's soft breathing, but he still looked over to the other bed, just to make sure his little brother was still there.

His body was shaking. As quietly as he could he made his way to the bathroom and closed the door. He turned on the light and bent over the sink, turning the faucet on and splashing cold water on his face. What the hell was going on? He replayed the dream over in his mind.

The kid's name was Sam. What was the odds of that? And how did he know about his Sam? And what was the damn door he kept asking about? What kind of special did he mean and how did he know his Sam was special? There were just too many questions and no answers.

Dean raised his head and stared at himself in the mirror. He could still see the tunnel and the boy's face so clearly. And the fear in his eyes. But there was something else. When he turned his eyes to Dean, he could see something he only saw from one other person. Complete hope and trust. Trust that Dean could help. The only other person that ever looked at him like that was his Sam.

Then suddenly it hit him. Special kids. Big brother protecting. Knowing about Sam's abilities and everything else. The demon. _The_ demon.

Oh God. Dean's stomach turned and he immediately dropped to his knees vomiting into the toilet. No. It couldn't be. Not now. They weren't ready yet. Dean wasn't ready yet. They didn't know how to fight it yet. And Sam was no where near ready to face that thing again.

"Please don't be." Dean moaned as he lay his head back against the wall.

Dean sat back, leaning against the wall, his body sweaty and shaking. His mind couldn't wrap around anything. He was lost in his thoughts when he heard the soft knocking on the door. Crap.

"Dean?" Sam called.

"Yeah." Dean managed to croak out.

"You okay man?"

"Fine." There was a pause and then Dean saw the door knob turning. Damn, why didn't he lock it?

Sam came through the door, his hair laying in wild ways from sleeping. He stood in the doorway looking down at his brother, concern etched into every groove of his face.

"You sick?" Sam asked.

Dean shook his head. Sam sighed and lowered himself to the floor. Why his older brother could never just be forth right was beyond him. Sam knew he was sick. He could hear him heaving from the bedroom.

"You need something?" Sam asked.

"No. Must have been that burger or something." Dean said still making no move to get off the floor.

"Or something." Sam muttered.

Sam watched as Dean closed his eyes, and himself off from Sam. He bit his lip, knowing that his continued questions were only going to irritate Dean. But Sam knew something was wrong. He could read between the lines.

"Another dream?" he dared ask. Dean's eyes shot open. Yep, he hit the nail on the head. "Come on man, talk to me. What got you so upset that you had to puke?"

But instead of answering Sam's question, Dean asked. "You couldn't find anything about a cult right?"

Sam shook his head. "Nothing but that little article. I was planning on looking into more tomorrow. It looks like there was cult activity around here, but it's like it was covered up or something. Why?"

"You think that could be what's happening around here?"

"Could be." Sam's eyes narrowed as he looked at Dean. "What's going on Dean?"

"The kids who were taken, any mention of anything special about them?"

Sam sighed. This question for a question game was getting old. Why couldn't his brother just spit it out. "I don't remember Dean." Sam rubbed his tired eyes. His mind was still fuzzy from sleep, and this beating around the bush Dean was doing wasn't helping to make him any more lucid.

"Just tell me what the hell is going on!" Sam demanded. "You kinda freaking me out man."

Dean sighed and swallowed hard. "I don't know Sam." He scrubbed a hand over his face.

"Well here's an idea. Why don't you just start from the beginning. Tell me about the dream."

Dean nodded. "Yeah all right." He gave a small non-happy laugh. "How bout we do this outta here."

Sam nodded and got up, offering his hand out to Dean who reluctantly took it. Sam helped heave him off the floor and followed him out of the bathroom. Both of them dropped down on their beds.

Sam watched as Dean took deep breaths and looked everywhere in the room but him. Truth be told, he was really starting to get nervous. He hadn't seen his brother this agitated in a long time.

"Dean? Seriously man, just spit it out."

Dean took a deep breath and finally raised his head and met his brother's eyes. How in the hell could he tell him that he thought the demon had finally found them? How could he tell his brother, who he swore to protect, that he didn't know what to do if this was it?

Sam watched as Dean continued to think and was becoming more and more agitated. It was making Sam start to feel sick. He suddenly couldn't keep still. He jumped off his bed and started pacing.

"Dean man, I mean it. Knock this shit off and just tell me okay! I'm not kidding when I say you're freaking me the hell out!"

"I'm sorry Sam." Dean said barely above a whisper.

The tone of Dean's voice caused Sam to stop cold. He walked back to his bed and sat down, leaning forward and staring intently at Dean.

"Sorry for what? Just tell me." He pleaded.

Dean nodded, took a deep breath, and just let it tumble out. He told Sam every detail of the dream he could remember. He told him how the little boy kept asking for him to open the door. That the kid's name was Sam too. That he talked about a bad man. That he knew about Sam and his abilities and how he said the kids taken were special. He told Sam that the kid said he knew Dean was the older brother and called him a protector. He let it all spill. And then with one last deep breath and while looking his brother squarely in the eye he told Sam that he thought it was _The_ demon.

Time seemed to stand still for a while. The room fell totally silent. Quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Sam was staring at him with wide eyes. Dean could see his chest rising and falling with deep heavy breaths. Both of them couldn't find anything to say.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity Sam found his voice. "But it can't be. I mean, Ash would have called if his program showed any signs. Wouldn't he? I mean, if it's here, then there has to be signs! There hasn't been anything weird with the weather or anything. Or did we miss it?"

Sam rambled on, question after question. Dean let him go, knowing better than trying to stop him when he was on a roll. And this was just what Dean was afraid of. All the questions, and no answers.

After a good six minutes of Sam rambling on Dean finally said, "Sammy stop."

Sam's gaze snapped to Dean.

"We don't know for sure. Everything's going to be okay." He paused waiting for Sam to acknowledge him, which he did with a quick curt nod. "We'll call Ash in the morning. We'll do some more research. We'll figure this out."

"Yeah." Sam said.

"I'm probably wrong Sam. I might be reading too much into this. Hell, we don't even know what this is. Maybe it's just some kind of spirit screwing with us."

Sam didn't say anything, he simply stared down at the carpet.

Dean sighed and stood, walking over to his brother. He put a hand on Sam's shoulder.

"We'll figure this out Sam. Everything's going to be okay. I promise you. I won't let anything bad happen to you."

-TBC-


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hello all. Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews. They make me soooo very happy! Thanks to all those who have silently read too. I appreciate it all!

This chapter is a little wordy I'm afraid. It's my information chapter, so it was hard to trim it down. So if it's too much, let me know. I need your criticism to fix things! Thanks!

Chapter 3:

Neither Sam nor Dean were able to get back to sleep. They each lay on their beds staring up at the ceiling, lost in their own doomsday thoughts. Both of them would give anything to finally kill what had taken so much from them. But both of them realized that they had no idea how. They just weren't prepared yet.

Dean sighed and sat up. It was almost seven am. "I'll give Ash a call."

Fifteen minutes later Dean put down his phone. "He's got nothin' Sam. No activity anywhere."

"But you still think it's the demon?" Sam asked without taking his eyes away from the ceiling. He found it ironic. After Jess, he hated looking up at the ceiling. Now he couldn't look away.

He couldn't bring himself to face Dean and the possibilities of what this hunt might bring.

Dean stood and paced the length of his bed. "I don't know Sam." He paused, and then looking like he came to some kind of conclusion he began to get dressed.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to check some stuff out," Dean said, emphasizing the word _I'm_. "You are going to salt this place down and stay here with your trusty laptop."

That tore Sam's attention from the ceiling real fast. "You're ordering me to stay here?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Not so much an order. A brotherly request."

"No." Sam said simply.

"No? Too bad Sam. You don't get to say no." Dean said while grabbing his keys.

"I'm not staying here. We need to find out what's going on." Sam said.

"You mean you want to find out if it's the demon and go after him." Dean said, giving Sam his I know what you're thinking look.

"That's what we've been spending our whole lives preparing for Dean."

"Yeah and look how well that turned out last time." Dean muttered making his way to the door.

But Sam wasn't going to stand for it. He rushed for Dean and grabbed his arm, spinning him around forcefully.

"You are not leaving me out of this!"

Dean gave Sam a firm push. "Damn it Sam! This isn't about revenge anymore!"

Sam's eyes widened. "Oh yeah? Then what would you call it?"

Dean didn't answer. Instead he turned to the door again. Once again Sam grabbed him.

"I don't have to listen to you Dean! I'm not going to stay here."

This time Dean's shove was a little harder, causing Sam to stumble backwards.

"**You** will stay here Sam. Until I find out what the hell is going on, you will stay where I know you're safe. Even if I have to tie you to the damn bed!"

Both were fell silent, giving each other a run for their money in a staring contest. Sam's jaw clenched and his hands fisted and relaxed over and over.

But as Sam really looked at Dean, he understood what his brother was saying. And dammit, didn't he just feel like a fool again.

"You can't protect me forever Dean." he said softly. "We have to be in this together."

Dean threw his arms up in frustration, letting them flap at his sides. "Sam. Please. Just for right now. Let me look into things. Just...I...just please don't fight me right now. Just this once, can we not fight?"

Sam suddenly deflated. His heart dropped to his stomach and the blood drained from his face all the way to his feet at those words. The exact words his father used right before he died. Sam swallowed hard and suddenly felt dizzy. He reached out for the table and grasped it.

"Sam? Sammy? What's wrong?" Dean asked grabbing his brother by the shoulders.

"Don't say that." Sam spat out, suddenly feeling angry.

"Say what?"

"That...that's what Dad said." At Dean's look of confusion Sam clarified. "He asked me to not fight with him just that once too. Then he..."

"Oh Sammy." Dean said, his voice laced with emotion. "Nothing's going to happen to me. I mean, this isn't some kind of foreshadowing here man."

Sam looked up, a smirk on his lips.

"Yeah Sam, I know what foreshadowing means." They both laughed lightly. "Seriously man. Just for a couple of hours. Let me go nose around."

Sam swallowed hard. He didn't want to agree, but he didn't want to fight either. He nodded. "Yeah, okay. Just for a couple of hours. I'll get online see what else I can find out."

Dean nodded. "Thanks." He turned and opened the door. "Just a couple of hours."

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A couple of hours turned into five. Although Sam had talked to Dean on the phone a couple of times while he was gone, giving him a few leads to look at, Sam was pacing the room like a caged animal. He was tense, worried, angry, and everything in between. He couldn't believe he had allowed himself to act like this.

When Dean first told him about his theory, Sam was immediately terrified. His first instinct was to run. He wasn't ready to face it yet again. He was scared. And that pissed him off. He was a damn Winchester. He'd known about things that go bump in the night for as long as he could remember. And he was scared?

Scared led to anger. Then he wanted nothing more than to rush off in a frenzy, guns blazing and take anything on. He didn't care about anything other than killing that thing. Everything Dean had always accused him of.

Now he found himself sitting in a stupid, filthy motel room, pacing. Letting his brother handle everything because he couldn't get a reign on his emotions. And Dean had seen that. What the hell was wrong with him? Of course they weren't ready to face it again! No matter what his destiny might be, no matter how badly he wanted answers. He wouldn't put his brother in danger by jumping in head first.

As if Dean was reading his mind, the door swung open and his brother sauntered in. Looking almost...relieved.

Dean smiled at his brother, not failing to notice the tension in his body. "Hey Sammy."

Sam gave him a quizzical look. "Hey Sammy? That's all you have to say?"

Dean exhaled loudly. "I think I over-reacted Sam. It's not the demon."

Sam's legs almost buckled. He made it to the bed, his entire body melting down. "How do you know?"

Dean walked over and patted him on the back then took a seat across from him on his own bed. "Followed one of your leads. Talked to that guy Gary White. With everything he said, I'm thinking we're dealing with the spirits of those cult members." At Sam's surprised look he said, "Look Sam. I'm sorry. I jumped the gun, coming up with stupid conclusions. But I was wrong. I know it. I'm sorry I freaked you out."

Sam was shocked. He had been preparing himself for the worst. Now he felt the sudden urge to laugh. "Don't be sorry Dean. I mean, shit, I'm glad that for once in your life you were wrong."

"Hey now, no need to go saying stuff like that." Dean teased, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

Sam blew out a breath. "So good. That kinda takes a weight off."

"Yeah." Dean agreed.

"So you think it's members of the cult then?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded. "Gary didn't want to talk about it at first. But he said he's getting old and he's getting ready to take that dirt nap, so he didn't see what it could hurt now. Especially with the new kids going missing."

Dean reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a bunch of papers that were rolled up. "He kept this stuff all these years. He worked with the police and these are all copies of the original reports and details of what happened almost thirty years ago."

Sam took the papers. They were well worn and yellow. "So what, was this all some kind of big conspiracy?"

"I guess." Dean stood and walked to the window looking out. While he felt sure they were no longer in danger of dealing with the demon, he still didn't fully understand what was happening. And everything was still just too eerily similar to the demon that he couldn't shake the bad feelings from his bones.

"Dean?" Sam watched as Dean seemed to be lost in his thoughts. "Dean?" Finally his brother turned to him. "So, you gonna tell me what you found out?"

"Yeah." Dean took a seat at the small table to keep himself from pacing. "Okay, so Gary said that all this crap was swept under the rug when it was over. The town just wanted to pretend it never happened."

"That would explain the lack of news articles." Sam said.

"Yep." Dean said.

Sam was quiet for a minute, watching Dean. "Is there some reason you seem reluctant to tell me about this?"

"No." Dean denied quickly. "Okay, so back then, Gary says this town was real open minded. He said they knew the cult was here and they worshiped some kind of demon. But everyone kept their distance and left them alone. But then after they were here for a couple of months kids started disappearing. All in all there were twelve kids gone."

"Were they using them for sacrifices?" Sam asked.

"Guess so. They don't know cause they never found the kids' bodies." Dean paused, thinking how to say the rest. "Thing is, these weren't just regular kids."

"What do you mean?"

"They were special Sam. Like you. They all had some kind of ability."

"What?" Sam asked, completely blown away by this revelation. "All of them?"

Dean nodded. "Gary said that they figure the cult either saw these kids as threats, or were using them as some kind of special sacrifice." Dean paused, letting the information sink in. "There's more." When he was sure he had Sam's full attention he continued. "All these kids, they were the youngest. They all had an older siblings. Gary said that everyone in town, even if they didn't know about the psychic stuff, just knew that these kids and their siblings were special. The older ones were very protective of the younger ones. They were joined together at the hip, as they say. They all had very special connections and fierce bonds. And for each set, before the younger ones were taken, the older ones were murdered."

Sam's head snapped up. He let the information lull in his head for a minute. That was the perfect description of him and Dean. Then suddenly a thought hit him. "So then the kid in your dream really was reaching out for help. I mean, if they never found the bodies, then maybe the spirits haven't moved on. And if he sees us as the same as him and his brother or sister, he knows you will help him."

"Guess so."

"Guess so? Dean, this explains a lot!" Sam said excitedly. He was so damn happy the whole demon thing wasn't the problem. He didn't understand why Dean seemed so hesitant. "This all makes sense. We match that description perfectly Dean. And as a spirit and a psychic the kid can sense it. He's asking for help. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. This is good. We've got a good lead. I figure now we just gotta figure out why this is happening again, I'll burn some bones and we move on."

"Now that I have more to go on, I'm sure I can figure out what made this all start again. I'll just..." Sam stopped. Dean's words hit him suddenly. "What do you mean, _you'll_ burn the bones? Where exactly will I be?"

Dean knew this was coming. He stood up and prepared himself for the storm that was named Sam. With the sweetest smile he could muster, he said, "You'll be here waiting for me."

Sam rolled his eyes and stood. "Oh no, you aren't starting that crap again! Why the hell wouldn't I be helping you dig and burn?"

"Sam, did you not hear a word I said? These people killed kids with psychic ability. Like they wouldn't sense you a mile away!"

"Nothing happened to me the other night." Sam stated calmly.

"Look Sam, I'm not arguing this time. You are not going."

Sam stood to his full height and took a deep breath. He forced himself to relax and smile. "Good then. We both agree we aren't arguing. Then you can just keep your mouth shut while we do _our_ job." Sam put his hand up stopping Dean's retort. "Not to mention that silly little fact that not only would I be in danger, they also kill the oldest. So you're screwed too. Not to mention the fact, danger is our middle names, so what's new."

"I hate your logic." Dean muttered.

Sam smiled. "That's because I got the brains, you got the brawn." Then he laughed. "Jerk."

"Bitch."

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Sam had to give his brother credit. Dean really did keep his mouth shut and stopped arguing. They still weren't quite sure what they were looking for. Even with what Gary had given them, there wasn't a whole lot of information on the cult. According to the paperwork, all the members had been killed during the fight with the law enforcement. Their bodies weren't even buried properly. Their monastery had simply been torn down, and the bodies were simply buried beneath the rumble and fresh dirt and cement that was poured. Eventually the same site was where the newest part of the cemetery was built. And where all of the new disappearances happened. So here they were, walking in the cemetery looking for clues that were probably going to be impossible to find.

But at least they weren't hunting _the _demon and Dean was no longer ordering him to stay hidden. Could be worse. Of course, he should have known not to think that. He wished there was wood near by to knock on.

He turned to see that Dean had began to lag behind him. He watched as his brother tried to hold back a yawn. Dean's eyes were drooping. "Dean?"

Dean looked up. He could barely keep his eyes open and his legs were moving slower and slower. "Sammy." Was the only word he could get out before his eyes closed and his legs gave out.

"Dean!" Sam lunged for his brother and caught him before he hit the ground. He lowered both of them to the ground. "Dean? Hey man, open your eyes." But Dean was out cold. "Crap." Sam muttered.

-TBC-


	4. Chapter 4

Here's the next one! Loving all the reviews! Keep 'em coming!

Chapter 4:

Dean turned towards the little boy as soon as he appeared. "You know, if you want me to help you, it would really help me if you'd stop knocking me out every time I show up here."

"You will help us?"

"I said I would." Dean followed the little boy as he turned and began moving down the tunnel.

"You will open the door?"

"You show me where it is and I will."

They continued walking in silence, Dean making a mental picture of everything so he would remember where to go. He still couldn't get over how vivid the dream was. Or vision. Or whatever the hell it was. He wondered if this was how Sam saw things during his visions.

As they walked Dean could feel himself getting colder, he could see his breath in front of him. The air was also thicker making it harder to breathe. And he was beginning to notice that they were walking at a slant downward. Going deeper underground. That was a scary thought.

"How much further?" Dean asked, finding it almost difficult to talk and finding it harder to take in a breath.

"Almost there." Little Sam whispered, then suddenly stopped.

"What Sam?"

Little Sam turned to Dean, his huge eyes haunted. He looked at Dean and then flickered back and forth from Dean to something he couldn't see. Then he began to back up, his hands in front of him as if defending himself.

"No, please!" he screamed.

Dean turned in circles, trying to see what the kid was seeing. But all he could see when he turned from the light surrounding the kid was darkness. Then the kid took off running. Dean didn't know what else to do so he started after him.

"Wait kid!" he called, surprised by how weak his voice had become. Not to mention how out of breath he was.

"The bad man is coming!" The boy screamed. "He's going to hurt me! He's going to kill you!"

Dean stopped short just as the kid stopped running and turned to him. "He's going to stop you from opening the door!"

Dean fell to his knees, breathing even harder than before. "Then let me outta here...I can't...I can't help you like this." Dean was panting now, feeling like he was strangling.

"Please come back." Little Sam pleaded, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"I will." Dean didn't get the chance to hear what his response was as everything faded to black and hit the ground.

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Sam pushed himself back against a tree, pulling Dean into his lap and tighter against his chest. He had thought that this happening could be a possibility before they got here. So he wasn't totally surprised when Dean passed out. No, that he was okay with.

What had put him into full fledged panic was the state his brother was currently in. Dean wasn't just sleeping and having a dream. Whatever was happening, his body was reacting negatively to. Out of habit, Sam had been periodically checking his pulse. And just in the last five minutes it had started racing. And then Dean's breathing began to quicken leading to short quick pants. His eyes were frantic behind the closed lids.

Sam was at a loss for what to do. He could throw Dean over his shoulder and carry him back to the car. But then what? He couldn't take him to the hospital, they wouldn't have a clue what to do. The only place he could go would be the motel. That idea sounded better. He just hoped no one saw him carrying his brother back. They definitely didn't need to be stopped by someone in the cemetery with his older brother, unconscious and thrown over his shoulder. So Sam figured he would just wait a minute. Let Dean come out of his dream like he had before. Hopefully with more information.

And all that was a great idea. Until Dean took a sudden, hitched breath, exhaled, and didn't inhale again. Sam's heart plummeted. "Dean?" He gave his brother a rough shake. "Dean!" He reached for his neck and found a pulse, although it was weak. But Dean still hadn't taken in a breath.

Suddenly every first aid lesson their Dad had taught them came rushing back. He immediately put Dean flat on his back. He tilted his head and opened his mouth. Sam was in total panic, his hands shaking, his own breathing hitched. But he had to hold on. He had to get Dean breathing again. He reached out and pinched Dean's nose, took a deep breath and bent over, ready to blow air into his brother.

Suddenly Dean's body jerked and his mouth opened wider, sucking in a gasping breath. His eyes flew open wide, then just as quickly closed. But he was still sucking in air.

Sam flew back on his haunches, his nerves so frayed and being so surprised and happy that laughter threatened to burst out from him. Instead, he swallowed hard and forced it down. He focused on his brother. Who was breathing, but whose eyes were still closed.

"Dean? Open your eyes man."

Dean turned his head toward Sam and his eyes fluttered.

"Come on man, you're okay now. Open up." Sam coaxed. When Dean still didn't respond Sam said, "Open your eyes or I'm gonna go through with giving you mouth to mouth Dean. My mouth on yours."

That did it. Dean's eyes snapped open. He looked a little unfocused, but they were open.

"Hey. You with me?" Sam asked.

Dean blinked his eyes a few times but finally nodded. "I'm okay."

At that Sam did laugh. "Yeah, I'm thinking you're not."

"Sam." Dean warned.

"Oh no, not this time you friggin' jerk. You stopped breathing Dean! And look at you! You're all unfocused. Not to mention you haven't even tried to get up. So don't give me your line of crap!" Sam even surprised himself at the harsh tone of his voice and how quickly he spat them out.

Dean was surprised too. "Dude. Why are you pissed at me?" He let his head relax back against the grass and focused on regulating his breathing. It was almost back to normal, and that fuzzy feeling was leaving him already.

"I'm not pissed."

"Could've fooled me." Dean made an attempt to sit up and was happy when he found it was easier than he expected.

Sam took the hint and stood too, holding his hand out to his brother. "Let's get out of here and you can explain to me what the hell just happened."

Dean took Sam's hand and let himself be pulled up. "All right all right boss man."

"Shut up Dean." Sam said angrily. "Just for once, shut the hell up and don't play it off. Let's go."

Dean rolled his eyes and huffed, but said nothing. Sam felt a little swell of victory and smiled.

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Dean was finding the carpet very interesting, and his hands continued to play with the threads of the motel blanket. Sam's intent stare was really starting to make him twitchy. He hated it when Sam got that _"I'm all worried'_ look and did nothing but stare at him. It made him feel compelled to talk.

"Look Sam. I told you everything that happened. Quit staring at me."

"I still think it wouldn't hurt to take a trip to the ER."

"And for like the hundredth time dude, NO! I'm fine."

Sam sighed and turned back to his laptop muttering, "You're an ass is what you are."

"I heard that." Dean said.

"Good."

"Can we just get back to work now. There's still the little matter of a cult we need to get rid of." Dean said.

"Yeah." Sam gave Dean one last worried glance. He was still worried. His brother did stop breathing, and that couldn't be a good thing, even if he seemed fine now. But it wasn't worth arguing over and getting Dean all worked up. And they did need to stop this thing, even if it was only to keep this from happening to Dean again.

"Okay so," Sam started. "from what you've said I'd say it's safe to say that the bodies are underground somewhere. They must have had the tunnels running from their temple." Sam looked up when a thought hit him. "Hey, how many spirits you think there are? I mean of the cultists."

Dean shrugged. "Who knows. But the kid only says the bad man, not men. So for now I'm guessing one."

"Wonder why?"

"Maybe he's some kind of guard. From what I get from the kid it's like he's keeping them behind this door. You know, keeping their spirits trapped here. Eternal torture or some crap."

Sam snorted at Dean's way of putting it, but he couldn't deny his logic was good. "That's a good theory." Sam pushed his lap top away and turned back to Dean. "There isn't anything else on there that's gonna help."

"The only way we're gonna solve this Sam is to find those tunnels."

"But the last two times we've been there you've passed out Dean. Not to mention you died."

"I didn't die!" Dean interrupted.

"Stopped breathing, died. Same difference." Sam said waving his hands around.

"Whatever Sammy. Either way, we have to go back. If little boy wonder drags me back in I'll just have to explain to him that he's gotta stop so I can help."

"Cause I'm sure that will work." Sam said angrily.

Dean finally couldn't stand it anymore. "What is your problem dude!"

"I don't like this."

"Okay, we'll gee then Sammy, let's just pack up and mosey on out of here. Leave the locals to deal with the pissed of spirit of some psycho cult member, not to mention let kids keep disappearing and getting killed. Sure we'll just go now cause this isn't as easy as we thought."

Sam shook his head and stood too. "Excuse me for being a little worried that my big brother who has the world's biggest hero complex is going to get himself killed by going off all half cocked and not knowing the full story."

Dean clenched his jaw. "I'm going to get something to eat. After that, I'm gonna find some old maps or something that shows where everything was thirty years ago. Then I'm gonna get a shovel and dig my way down to wherever and find that damn door. You can keep up your little hissy fit, or you can come with me and watch my back. Your choice."

With that Dean grabbed his jacket and was out the door. Not_ really _giving Sam a choice.

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Three hours later found Sam and Dean at the very edge of the oldest part of the cemetery. This was where it all started thirty years ago. Sam would swear he could just feel the negative energy hovering over the land. Although the actual monestery had sat where the newest part was, the original buildings were here. And Sam and Dean figured that would be where any tunnels would be. It was also the area where there just happened to be the oldest part of the city's sewer system. So now they were looking for that entrance. They had both decided that had to be the best way to get into the tunnels without actually having to try and dig to China.

Dusk was beginning to fall as they found the gated entrance to the sewers. The lock was old and rusty but Sam had no trouble with it and the gate was open within seconds.

"This place is huge. You sure this is a sewer system?" Sam asked, taking in the wide tunnel before him.

"Maybe it was used for more than the sewers. Definitely not like any I've ever seen before."

"Well it sure smells like all the ones I've ever been in." Sam said. Then he stepped aside and waved his hand. "After you."

Dean laughed. "Ladies first." He said, bowing to Sam.

"And I'm supposed to be worried about you boys."

Sam and Dean both snapped their heads up at the sound of the voice. Just within the tunnel was a man, dressed in along flowing black robe. His eyes as black as the dark tunnel behind him.

Dean reached around his waist and pulled out his gun that was loaded with consecrated iron rounds.

"I'm thinking you should be worried." Dean said, noticing that Sam had taken a similar position and had his weapon out too.

"Very cocky for a boy whose met his match." The man said.

Before Dean or Sam could do anything else the gate behind them slammed shut and the man disappeared.

Sam turned quickly trying to open the gate but it wouldn't move. "He locked us in."

"Well, at least all our stuff is with us." Dean said, motioning to their duffel bags.

"This isn't good Dean."

Dean sighed and rubbed his hand over his head. "It never is."

-TBC-


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N_: Okay, so I may have gotten a little carried away here. Please let me know if I pushed it too far. I appreciate all the reviews; love hearing what you think. So please, keep 'em coming. And to those who simply read, thank you too.

And a special thanks to EFW and Insecret, who gave me such encouraging words!

Chapter 5:

Dean and Sam stood staring at the many options of tunnels before them. Surprisingly the city still had a few lights running. They were few and far between, but with that and their flashlights, the place wasn't in complete darkness. That was one point for their side already.

Sam flicked his light back and forth from opening to opening. "We could split up." he said hesitantly.

Dean shook his head. "No." he stated with force. Then he pointed to his left. "That way."

"How do you know?"

Dean gave him a funny look. "I just know."

And Sam couldn't argue with that. He could never explain his visions or how he knew either. He nodded and stepped into place beside his brother.

"You're not feeling tired are you?" Sam asked.

"No, I'm good."

They walked for a while in silence. Both were very much on alert, eyes scanning every crevice for any sign of a door. After a while they could feel the subtle shift in the floor as it started slanting downward. The air was gradually beginning to get colder.

"We're on the right path." Dean said.

Suddenly the single tunnel they were walking in split into two. They stopped gazing into them. The lights were now even fewer between making dark stronger. Dean began to step left and Sam stepped right.

"Whoa, where you goin?" Dean asked.

Sam rolled his eyes. "No where. I'm just peeking around the corner. See what I can see. I'll be right back." Sam stepped past the wall before Dean could reply.

Dean shook his head but let his brother wander a little bit. They really weren't getting anywhere so he figured it couldn't hurt to look in two places at once. He went forward a few steps and then stopped.

The sound of soft chanting began filling the air. The words were too soft to make out exactly what they were. But Dean didn't need to understand what was being said to know that hearing chanting all of a sudden was a very bad thing. He turned to go back to Sam, but he came to the spot the tunnel split, there was nothing but a wall.

"What the..." Dean shouted. "Sam!" Dean pounded on the cold wet stone. "Sam!" But besides his own yells and the chanting, he could hear nothing else.

"This is not happening!" he growled. "Dammit it!"

"Oh but it is boy." A voice whispered in his ear.

Dean whipped around, but there was nothing near him.

Then it whispered again. "Your brother's power is strong. I can't wait to take it. And there is nothing you can do to stop me."

Before Dean could respond he felt a rush of cold air over him. It was so cold it hurt to breathe in. His eyes began to blur and he felt himself losing strength. He began to feel numb and then slowly crumbled to the ground.

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As soon as he heard the chanting Sam spun around to make his way back to Dean. When he did nothing but run into a wall he nearly dropped his gun and his flashlight.

"What the hell?" Mimicking his brother's motions he began to pound on the wall. "Dean! Dean can you hear me!"

The chanting grew louder and the air grew colder. "I said this wasn't good." Sam muttered to himself.

Suddenly he felt a presence next to him. He spun and came face to face with the man in the robe. Sam put his light to the man's face and it was reflected off his black eyes. He raised his gun, aim and hold steady and sure.

Without hesitation he fired, only to find the man vanished right before the bullet hit him. Then he reappeared again and Sam fired again. Once again missing.

Seeing as he was getting nowhere, Sam decided the best plan of action was to give up for the moment, and run. Without looking back he took off deeper into the tunnel. Which looking back he would find to be a stupid move, but at the time it sure seemed right. That was until he ran right into the second spirit they didn't know was there.

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"You're killing me, you know that right?" Dean asked Little Sam.

"I took you away from your body so he wouldn't hurt you. I'm not trying to hurt you!" Little Sam's eyes began to well up with tears. "I just want to go home." he said and sniffed.

Dean could feel the coldness, the tingle in his body, even if he wasn't in it. He felt bad for the kid, he really did. But hey, the kid _was_ in fact dead. Him and Sam weren't, yet. He was really starting to lose his patience. If he didn't get to Sam, those freak spirits were going to kill him. It was time to stop coddling the kid.

"Fine." he snapped. "You want help, show me the damn door then leave me alone to do my job!"

Little Sam flinched at his words. Tears began to fall down his face. "I thought you would help me."

"How many times do I have to tell you I will! But you can't keep pulling me here. It's killing me."

Little Sam nodded his head. "If you keep going down you'll find the door. It has funny writing on it. Do you think you can do it?"

"Of course I can." But suddenly Dean felt a sharp pain shoot through his head. "What the hell?"

"The bad man has you." The boy whispered.

Dean attempted to reach out as he felt himself falling down, but was met only with the ground.

He came to suddenly, his entire body jerking, but only as far as it could when he found resistance against the ropes. His eyes opened. His vision was blurry and the world seemed to be spinning. He attempted to move again and realized his body was tied down. There was hardly any light but from what he could see and what he could feel, he surmised it was a table he was tied to. But other than the few feet in front of him, he couldn't see anything else.

He heard shuffling in the room and he pulled his head up, looking around. The shuffling came closer and suddenly the man in the robe was standing next to him.

Dean glared. "Nice trick tying me up. Must've been hard, being a spirit and all."

The man smiled. "Who said I was a spirit?"

That statement shook Dean, but he didn't let it show. "What do you want?"

"What I already have." The man circled around Dean. "Usually I would just kill you and get you out of the way. But I think I would like to have some fun with you first. You're stronger than the other elder siblings. I'm going to break you before I kill you." He placed his hands on Dean's chest. "Then I'm going to kill your brother and take his power."

"You son of a bitch!" Dean screamed. "I won't let you have him!"

"Oh, but I already do have him." He smiled again. "He's the strongest I've ever taken. I can't wait to get his power."

Dean was about to say more when a horrible pain ripped through his chest. He tried to struggle but the ropes seemed to tighten. He struggled for breath as he felt like his chest was being ripped open. He had a sudden sense of dejavu, memories of what happened in the cabin slamming into him.

Then it all stopped, leaving Dean heaving for a breath. "Yes, you are the strongest. The bond between the two of you is strong. Each other's reason for living. So strong."

Suddenly he was gone again, the room darker and quiet, except for Dean's heavy breaths.

"Sam." Dean whispered weakly.

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Sam jerked violently awake when he felt the hard slap across his face. He opened his eyes, only to find no one there. He did find however, that he was tied to a chair in the middle of a barely lit room. He quickly tried to run through the last things he could remember. He was running down the tunnel, and then...oh crap! He suddenly remembered that there was definitely more than one spirit. He looked down to his hands tied to the chair again. But how did they tie him up?

"We are so much more than simple apparitions." The voice answered his silent question.

"Because of all the power you've taken from the children." Sam surmised aloud.

"You are very smart. I knew you would be a good choice."

Sam turned his head left to right searching out the source of the voice. "What do you want with me?" Sam already knew the answer to that, but he needed to buy himself all the time could. No better way to do that than with meaningless talk.

"You are going to make us even stronger Sam."

"Where's my brother?"

The voice laughed. "So worried about his fate when you should be worried about your own."

Suddenly the spirit appeared in front of Sam. It reached out a hand, it's fingers tilting Sam's chin up to look into it's eyes. "The fight for each other keeps you both going. While he doesn't have the same kind of powers you do young Sam. Your brother is very very strong. And I intend to drain him of that strength. When that is done, I will take your powers."

Sam huffed out a breath, jutting he head back away from the hand. "We're going to send you back to hell." he spat out through gritted teeth.

The spirit laughed. "I'd like to see you try boy. You don't even have control over your own self. Such a shame, all that magnificent power going to waste." It patted Sam on the shoulder. "Get comfortable boy. You will be here a while."

"Why don't you just kill me and get it over with then?" Sam demanded.

"That would seem practical. But it doesn't work that way."

"Oh yeah, then how does it work?" Sam asked, continuing to staring against his ropes. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but he thought he felt the ropes begin to move slightly. Not enough to pull his hand out yet, but yeah, they were loosening.

The spirit seemed to contemplate Sam's question. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you what's going to happen. Neither one of you can stop us anyway. You and your brother are very strong. Fighters. I cannot just take your power when you are so strong. So I must break you. And to do that, I will first break your brother. He is what keeps you going. Your protector. But once that protector is gone, you will easily break and your power will be easily taken."

Sam had stopped struggling as he listened. He swallowed hard. He hadn't figured on being tortured. Killed sure. But now the thought of these things torturing Dean just to get at him. Once again it was what he had been warning Dean about for the last few months. Everything supernatural was going to use Sam against Dean. And they were going to go through Dean to get to him. He'd be damned if he let that happen.

With the most defiant look he had, the one he used to give his father as a teenager, he looked at the spirit and said, "Have fun trying. But you aren't going to break either of us."

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Dean was awakened by the sudden sensation of wet and ice cold. He came awake, sputtering at the water that had pooled in his mouth. He found himself drenched in freezing water.

"Not such a tough boy are you?" The spirit asked, standing next to him.

Dean smirked. "Why don't you untie me and we'll find out."

It laughed. "You won't have that tone for long. Not when you hear your baby brother's screams."

Dean's heart began to pound. His blood turning just as cold as the water. "You touch him and I'll do more than just burn your damn bones." he threatened.

Suddenly, seemingly out of no where, another dose of freezing ice water was dumped over his body. He jerked his head to the right and that's when he saw the second one.

"He's already begging for his life." The second spirit said. "Let's see how long it takes you."

The spirit placed his hands over Dean and a light appeared. Suddenly Dean felt searing pain shoot through his body. It felt a lot like that time he was electrocuted while hunting the rawhead. Except this time it lasted a hell of a lot longer. As much as he tried, he couldn't contain the scream that escaped from his lips.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the attack stopped. The spirit above him smiled widely, it's eyes an even deeper black. "I can taste you already."

Dean tried to clear his mind, trying to work on a plan of escape. But he was fuzzy and everything was spinning. And before he had a chance to become clear, they hit him again. This time he didn't even try to stop the scream.

But this time the attack was shorter. As soon as it stopped, they disappeared. Neither spirit paying notice to the little boy watching from the corner.

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Sam was working hard at getting himself out of the chair. He was struggling as hard as he could, not caring that the ropes were causing his wrists to burn and bleed. He ignored the pain. But when he heard his brother's first scream, panic tore through him. His hard struggling turned even harder, at a frantic pace. Moving himself and the chair across the floor, trying to find something to use. He was willing to slam himself into the wall to break the chair if he had to. And when he heard his brother's second scream, he did just that.

He scooted himself around and around until he found a wall. Then with all the strength he could gather while being seated, he began flinging himself into the wall. Over and over until he thought his arm and his shoulder would break. But he didn't give up. And when the chair arm finally splinted, he couldn't stop the cry of joy that escaped his lips. As quickly as he could he began to untie himself from the broken prison.

As soon as he was free he headed toward the door. Only to be stopped just before by one of the spirits.

"Very good Sam. But I'm afraid your efforts are in vain."

"What have you done to my brother!" Sam screamed.

"I thought we already went through that." It advanced on Sam. "Now it's your turn."

Sam stepped back, but wasn't fast enough. The sudden pain that shot through him took him to his knees. He grasped at his chest. The pain was intense and he felt as if he couldn't draw a full breath. His vision was fading, all he could see was white. He went down a little more and that's when he felt it. The small handgun he kept hidden under his sock.

He was panting now, the pain almost unbearable. He was quickly losing focus. But he had to hold on just a minute longer. Just long enough to reach it. The gun was filled with iron rounds. He just had to reach it.

But just as he did, the second spirit entered the room. "Stop!" It screamed.

Sam collapsed onto the floor as the attack abruptly ended. He felt as though he had just run a marathon, and he knew there was no way he was going to get to his feet anytime soon. He managed to raise his head slightly to look at the two spirits before him. His ears were ringing, but he was able to make out what they were saying. And it made his blood turn cold.

"Why did you stop me?" The spirit who had been attacking Sam asked.

The second turned and looked at Sam.

"We can't take this one. He's already been marked."

-TBC-


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N:_ So firstly: I'm so sorry this chapter took so long to get to you. I really didn't intend for it to take so long. But sometimes real life just gets in the way. So, I'm soooo sorry!

The next chapter will be the last. I'm going to shoot for having it up by the end of the week; but no promises!

Thanks to everyone who has continued to stick with this. I love all of the reviews! And to those who have just read, thank you too.

Chapter 6:

Sam could have sworn his heart actually stopped beating for seconds. Already marked? What the hell did that mean? His mind was spinning and so was the room. He tried to get up but fell back to his knees. He was trying hard to put the pieces together. For the moment it seemed as though they were done attacking him so he decided to take the time to pull himself together. He knelt on his knees, head bowed, trying to control his breathing and his heart rate. This didn't make sense. He wasn't marked by anything. Nothing he could think of during their hunts had marked or cursed him. Except... Then it hit him. He _was_ marked. Ever since it had come for him at six months old, he _had_ been marked. He needed to get up, now!

One of the spirits walked over to him, bending down to get eye level.

It smirked as it talked to him, "It's a shame. But even I am not stupid enough to cross the one who has marked you. But just because you already belong to him doesn't mean we can't still have fun." It laughed.

"Screw you!" Sam shouted. "I don't _belong_ to anyone!"

The spirit laughed. "You have no idea boy. Your life is not your own, hasn't been since the day you were born. We may not be able to have you. But he doesn't necessarily need you to be in top shape. And to get in his good graces, we're going to get rid of your brother for him. Actually, getting rid of your brother would put us in the good graces of many things."

With that both of the spirits disappeared, leaving Sam kneeling on the floor, his mind whirling with dizzying thoughts. He didn't care about anything they had said. He had to ignore it. What they said didn't matter. They were just some spirits of psychotic people. They were nothing that salt and fire wouldn't take care of. So he wasn't worried about anything they said. No.

He was worried now about what they might do. What they were going to do to him, to Dean. But most of all. He was terrified that now that he was trapped and separated from his brother, they were going to call the Demon to him. They would kill his brother and turn him over to his fate. Sam took a deep breath and forced himself up. He sure as hell wasn't going to sit around and wait for that to happen.

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Dean was caught in what he could only call an in between place. Although he was conscious, after his attack his mind was incredibly foggy. He knew he should try to move, but he just couldn't even summon the energy to lift his head. Damn he was really beginning to hate getting electrocuted. His eyes shifted back and forth. That seemed to be about the only thing he could move. But even so, he couldn't see anything clearly. He was trying to focus on calming his body down, but it wasn't happening.

Then he heard a noise. His eyes flicked to the left but he couldn't actually make out anything.

"Sammy?" he called out weakly.

"I'm here."

His little brother's voice was loud and clear to him. "Are you okay Sammy?"

Little Sam moved next to Dean. "I'm not that Sammy." he said.

Dean's mind didn't even register what he said. In his confused state he truly thought he was seeing his little brother. Literally. "Hey Sammy, untie me so we can get outta here."

The little boy gave a sad look to Dean. "I'm sorry." he whispered. "I'll go get your brother."

"Wait Sammy, don't leave." Dean whispered, then passed out.

Sam's head snapped up instantly when the little boy entered the room. At first he was prepared for another round, but when he saw who it was he relaxed.

"You must be Sam." he said to the little boy. One look at the boy, with his big haunted, sad eyes looking so lost and needy, Sam could see instantly why Dean would be drawn to him. Dean could never resist puppy dog eyes and someone in need. Alive or dead.

"Yeah."

"You know, you've really done a number on my brother." Sam said, but the little boy just gave Sam a confused look. "Never mind. What are you doing here?"

"He needs help."

Sam didn't need to ask. He knew the kid was talking about Dean. "Can you get me out of here?"

"I think I can make the door unlock.."

"Go then. Hurry."

When the little boy disappeared, Sam finished getting himself up to his feet. At first he was a little unsteady, but he took a few deep breaths to center himself. His head was pounding with a pretty good thud, but it could be ignored. As he made his way to the door he heard the click and then it swung open. He cautiously made his way out, back into the tunnel. He peered around but didn't see any immediate danger. He blew a sigh of relief, and almost laughed when he looked down to his left. He couldn't believe his luck when he found his duffel sitting right outside the door. With all his weapons left inside. Maybe the tide was turning.

He turned to look for the little kid to ask where Dean was, but he was gone. Sam dug around in his duffel, found the flashlight, then slung the bag over his shoulder. His body was protesting the movement a little bit, but it was bearable. Now he could only pray he had time to find his brother before those freaks showed back up. And possibly with company.

Sam didn't think he would have to look long. Dean couldn't be that far away. After all, he had heard his screams too clearly for him to be far. Just ahead of him there were a few doors.

"Dean!" he called, trying not to be too loud. "Dean!"

He suddenly saw light creeping out from under one of the doors. A little voice in his head told him to wait. A sudden light appearing and beckoning him to it could only mean trouble. But he didn't have much choice. He ran to it, turning the lock. He drew his gun and stepped into the room, only to come to a shocking halt at the sight before him.

The little boy stood next to Dean, giving Sam and apologetic look. "I can't untie the ropes."

Sam nodded. "I've got him." He quickly went to his brother. As he began untying him, not failing to notice he was drenched, cold, and shivering, he tried talking to him. "Dean? Come on man, wake up. We gotta go." He had the ropes untied and moved up to Dean's head.

Sam slapped his cheeks lightly. "Dean! We don't have time for this. Wake up!"

Dean turned his head towards Sam's voice. After a few moments his eyes opened. "Sammy?"

"Yeah man it's me. How bad are you?"

Dean's brow furrowed and he blinked his eyes slowly a few times. "How'd you get so big so fast Sammy?"

Sam was confused for a minute. But then he thought about Little Sam and how much he looked like big Sam when he was a kid. Dean was obviously _really_ confusing the two at the moment. Sam was worried about what kind of damage his brother had.

"I didn't just get big Dean. Come on, up."

Dean licked his lips. "How'd you get so big?" He asked again, his voice rough.

Sam sighed. It wasn't worth arguing. His brother was too confused at the moment. Instead he said, "It's a long story Dean. Let's just say I ate my spinach."

Dean laughed weakly. But then his eyes slid shut again.

"No way man." Sam said slapping Dean's cheeks again. "Get up."

Dean stirred and then opened his eyes. He stared hard at Sam. Sam could see a spark of recognition in his eyes this time.

"You with me this time?" Sam asked.

"How'd you get in here Sam?"

"Long story. Let's go." Sam helped Dean sit up and swing his legs over the table.

"You know," Dean rasped, "I'm real tired of electricity."

Sam's eyes snapped to Dean. "What?" As much as he wanted, he couldn't get the sound of his brother's screams out of his head. Electricity? "What'd they do to you Dean?"

Dean swallowed hard. He really needed to get himself in check. "Nothing Sam. Let's just finish this. I'm freezing."

"We aren't finishing anything Dean. We're getting the hell out of here." Sam said firmly.

Dean allowed Sam to help him to his feet. "You know we can't do that Sam."

"The hell we can't! Look man, it's a long story, but believe me, we've gotta go."

"Sam. The kids."

"The kids are already dead Dean! I get you feel sorry for the boy, but there's other stuff going on here man."

Dean stood, swaying slightly, but putting on his all business face. "I'm not talking about the spirits Sam. What about the ones who were just taken? Maybe they're still alive. What about the others they _will_ take if we don't finish this? We can't leave."

Sam sighed. His brother was right. And he knew that if they left they would only put others in danger. Deep down he wanted to do the right thing. But he was so afraid. Not for himself, but for Dean. If they brought the demon here it would finish it's job on his brother. He couldn't stand by and let that happen.

"Dean please. Let's just go. We'll come back." Sam pleaded.

Dean cocked his head to the side, looking at Sam intently. "What's going on Sam? Did they do something to you?" Dean was suddenly in big brother mode, his eyes searching Sam for injury.

"I'm fine Dean. Just a little banged up." He took a deep breath. "Look, you know I want to get rid of these guys. Badly. I don't want to risk any more kids. But..."

"But what Sam? What's going on?"

Sam threw his hands up, "What's going on is these guys are pretty powerful Dean! We're trapped down here with no idea how to get out! You can barely stand on your own feet, God only knows what they did to you cause you sure as hell won't tell me and we have no idea how to stop anything!" Sam found himself a little out of breath after his tirade. It seemed those spirits had taken more of a toll on his body then he thought.

Dean nodded, watching his brother closely. "Look Sam. I get something's going on that you don't want to tell me about. But I'm not tucking my tail between my legs and running."

Sam sighed. "I know." But he felt better after getting that off his chest. He stepped next to his brother and grabbed his upper arm. "Let's go."

Just as they were leaving the room Little Sam appeared.

"Hey." Dean said, then paused, "Wait, I'm not sleeping. How come I can see you?"

"I can see him too." Sam said.

"I'm trapped down here. The only way I could talk to you up there was in your dreams." Little Sam said.

"Then can you lead us to the door?" Sam asked. He hadn't failed to notice how Dean seemed to be leaning on him a little more and unable to walk in a straight line. They needed to get this over with.

"It's just down there." The little boy said, pointing down the tunnel.

"Dean, you gonna make it?"

"Of course."

Sam paused for a minute to take the shot gun out of the duffel. Then he put the duffel back across his shoulder and grabbed onto Dean again. By the time they made it to the right door, both boys were sweating and out of breath.

Sam let go of Dean and watched him sway for a minute before finding his balance. He grabbed his flashlight and put it on the door. The door was covered from top to bottom with symbols. Symbols Sam had never seen before.

"Dean, you ever seen symbols like this before?"

Dean stared at the door. He could make out thick black blobs, but nothing else. His vision was still far too fuzzy to actually make out specific shapes.

"Dean?"

"Ah, not sure." Dean said.

"Not sure?" Sam looked at Dean, flicking the flashlight to his brother's face. Before Dean could react he was in his brother's face looking into his eyes. Dean's pupils were uneven. Crap.

"Dude, personal space." Dean whined.

Sam ignored him. "You can't even see the symbols can you?"

"I can see them just fine Sam." Dean denied.

"Whatever. We don't have time to argue. Just don't pass out on me."

Sam forced Dean backwards, ignoring his many many complaints and curse words, until his brother was leaning against the wall. He then shoved the shot gun at him. "Hold this and watch my back."

"You're a little snippy there Sammy." Dean teased, but forced himself up straighter, tightening his hold on the gun.

"Shut up."

Sam turned his attention back to the door. Knowing it was probably worthless, he still stepped up to it and tried to open it the old fashioned way. He wasn't surprised when not even the door knob would turn.

"Thought you ate your spinach?" Dean teased.

Sam just shook his head. "These symbols are probably keeping it closed. We have to get them off." Sam didn't turn toward Dean as he spoke, just continued studying the door. He noticed that all of the symbols were circular. An idea was starting to come to him.

Dean watched as Sam acted like the egg head he was. Dean would have just as soon used some explosives and take care of the door that way. But not his brother. Geek boy Sam had to stand around and _figure_ it out. He wished Sam would hurry up. Standing there, trying to be on alert and holding the gun was beginning to get very hard. He hated to admit it, but those wonderful jolts the spirits delivered to him had really taken a toll. His body wanted nothing more than to crumple to the ground.

"Think you could hurry it up Sammy?" Dean asked, his voice a little weaker than before.

"I'm working on it." Sam said.

Dean was about to come back with a very smart ass comment, but his attention was drawn to the light forming to the side of him. Instinct told him it wasn't anything to freak out over. And proving him right, Little Sam stepped up to him.

"Hey kid. Come to help?"

"The bad men are coming." Little Sam said, and then promptly disappeared.

"Uh Sam." Dean forced himself away from the wall. "Sam. Sam!"

Sam turned, "What!"

"Hurry up." Dean said.

"Yeah. I've got an idea." Sam bent and began digging around in his bag.

Dean could feel the tension beginning to build in the air. "Sometime today Sam."

"I'm going as fast as I can." Sam said, frantically looking for it. "Got it!" Sam shouted, bringing his hand out, holding a black marker.

Dean's face fell. "An ink marker? What the hell are you going to do with that?"

Sam gave Dean a 'duh' look. "Well, the symbols are circular. We don't have time to break the spell, so I'm going to break the circles." Sam explained.

"Oh. Good idea." Dean said. "I thought that's what you were doing."

"Yeah right." Sam said, rolling his eyes. Knowing time was not on their side, Sam turned back to the job at hand. He wasn't really sure this was going to work. But they had no other options. As quickly as he could he began drawing lines through the circles.

As he worked he could feel the change in the atmosphere too. He did his best to ignore it, knowing he that even though his brother wasn't at his best, Dean would do everything in his power to make sure Sam could finish.

"Done!" Sam shouted. "Here goes nothing." With a shaky hand Sam reached for the door and turned the knob. He almost let out a squeal when the door opened. But as soon as it opened he had to step back and hold his stomach as the smell hit him.

"Oh God." Sam and Dean said at the same time.

Both boys knew by experience that the smell was of decaying bodies. The bodies of the most recent kids taken. It was hard for either of them to keep their composure. But Dean stepped up first.

"Get the gas and salt Sam. We gotta hurry."

Sam snapped back to reality. "What? We can't start a fire down here."

"What else can we do? We can't drag the bodies and bones up. We don't have time." Dean reminded him.

Reluctantly Sam agreed. "But what about the bodies of the cult members?"

"They're down here somewhere. We'll just let the fire go. It'll take this whole place out eventually."

Sam shook his head. "What?" Dean asked in an irritated tone.

"Nothing. I know it needs to be done. But man, we're causing some damage. We _are_ under a town _and_ a cemetery."

Dean dropped his head. "I know that Sam. But we can't let them continue."

Both of their heads snapped up when they heard a loud crashing noise from the tunnels.

"Whatever we're gonna do, get it done." Dean said.

"I'm going."

Both of them took a deep breath and stepped into the room. No matter what they had seen in their lives, the sight before them still made their hearts clench. The room was littered with the bones of children. And of the most recent children. It was a horrifying sight.

As Sam poured the salt and gas he didn't even bother to try and put on a facade. He let the tears fall freely down his cheeks. This was beyond horrible. It was beyond words. The only thing that made this even remotely okay was that at least now the spirits of these children were going to be set free.

Sam finished the job as Dean stood guard at the doorway. Sam noticed his brother leaning heavily against the wall, his body beginning to sag. He hurried the process. Finally when everything was good and coated he pulled out a match.

"Dean, start walking." He said. He knew the place would go up fast. Dean was in no shape to run. He needed as big of a head start as Sam could give him.

"Not without you." Dean said.

"I'll be right behind you." Sam told him.

"No. Not splitting up again." Dean said, standing firm.

"Damn it! You stubborn..." Sam didn't even get to finish the sentence. Without even realizing it Dean had pulled a lighter from his pocket and lit it. Amazingly it stayed lit as his brother dropped it, igniting the gas.

Sam moved quickly. He grabbed Dean around the waist, bending quickly to get his duffel, and began hauling his brother down the tunnel.

"I'm gonna kick your ass." Sam said.

"Get in line." Dean said as he stopped, grabbing the back of Sam's shirt causing him to stop too. Sam was about to ask what was going on when Dean raised the shot gun and fired.

-TBC-


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: _So here it is. Finally the end. Boy this took me longer than I planned. But I can only go over it so many times. If not, I'll drive myself mad trying to perfect it. It's a little long!

Many thanks to all of you who have taken the time to read this. And a special BIG thanks to all the reviewers. You guys rock and made this much more fun! (But don't forget to leave a review for this one too. Gotta know what you thought!)

Until next time!...

Chapter 7:

Sam was surprised at the amount of strength his brother showed. Dean had effectively grabbed Sam's shirt and threw him backwards. It caused Sam to fall, but to fall directly behind Dean. Which he was sure was his brother's plan all along. But Sam didn't intend to stay down long. As another gun shot echoed Sam was digging in the bag for the second gun. Once he found it, he didn't hesitate to get back to Dean's side.

They each fired their guns at the approaching spirits. Thankfully both hit their mark. The spirits hissed as they were loaded full of rock salt and disappeared.

"Don't know how long they'll stay gone. They're more powerful than we thought." Sam said.

"Then we better get moving." Dean said, chocking back a cough. The smoke had already began to filter into the tunnel.

Sam could easily see that Dean wouldn't be able to be on his feet much longer. His brother was breathing hard, and Sam was sure Dean didn't even realize how bad he was swaying. Not to mention his clothes were still soaked through and freezing, and now sticking to him. Sam wasn't feeling all that great himself, but he was in far better shape than his brother. He grabbed the duffel and grabbed Dean's arm.

"Let's move." Sam was happy that for once Dean didn't argue.

They really weren't sure which way to go. The only thing they knew for sure is that as they headed in, they headed down. So on Dean's order they followed the path that felt like they were climbing back up. Not surprisingly the fire they had started had spread through the room quickly. The smoke was bellowing out into the tunnel. There wasn't a lot of ammunition for it, but both knew it wouldn't stay confined in that one room forever.

"So Sam." Dean started. They weren't even running but he was still out of breath.

"What Dean?" Sam asked, his eyes darting side to side, keeping watch for their pursuers.

"What exactly is it that you're keeping from me?" Dean asked, pausing shortly between words.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked. Usually he was all for talking. But right now, they needed to concentrate. And Dean didn't sound like he could spare the extra breath. They couldn't exactly run, but they were moving as fast as they could and his brother needed to be able to keep it up.

"Back there. You were keeping something from me. What...what was it?"

"Nothing."

"You don't..."Dean paused to take a big breath, "you don't lie well Sammy."

"Can we discuss this later? I'm thinking we need to focus on getting out of here. You can't even talk. Save your breath."

Dean laughed. "You putting me off...that only makes me want to push more." Dean laughed again. "Wow, talk about role reversal."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Fine I'll tell you okay! Then you get to tell me what happened to you back in that room that's made you shake like a leaf and weak as a kitten." Dean snorted but stayed silent, waiting for Sam to continue.

"They were gonna do to me what they did to the other kids. Take my ability some how then kill me. But when they started..."

Dean interrupted. "Started? What'd they do?"

Sam shook his head. "I don't know man. All I know is it hurt. Like hell." At Dean's look of concern Sam said, "I'm fine Dean. Just a little sore. Anyway, they stopped all of a sudden. They said they couldn't take my ability."

"Why?"

Sam hesitated. He took a deep breath and then just spit it out. "They said I was already marked. By the demon and so they couldn't take me. Didn't want to piss him off. They were going to call him here."

At this Dean stopped short. He felt panic rise up inside for a moment, but quickly squashed it, making sure Sam didn't see anything but confidence. "Did they?"

"I don't think they got the chance." Sam said. Sam tugged on Dean's arm to get him moving again.

"Good, cause I gotta tell ya Sammy, that would of sucked." Dean said, trying to ease the tension.

"Yeah, I'll second that. Your turn." Sam instructed.

"Ah hell Sam. What part of torture don't you understand."

Sam glared at his brother. "I understand it fine. But when we get out of here, I need to know. Do I take you to a hospital or can I take care of you myself?"

Dean sighed. "I'll be fine Sam."

"You didn't answer my question."

Dean really wished he had the energy to raise his hand and cuff the back of Sam's head. But he just didn't. His body was beyond aching, his muscles were twitching, his eyesight was still blurred to hell, and his head was throbbing. He was barley standing. He'd have to smack Sam later just for the principle of it.

"I don't know what it was Sam. They sent some kind of electrical jolt through me. Kinda felt like that time I got electrocuted in the basement." Dean finished the last of that sentence quietly.

"What! We are definitely going to the hospital." Sam said.

"No Sam. We can't and you know it. Look, it's not like last time. Just find me a bed I can crash in for a few days and I'll be good." Dean watched as emotions played across his brother's face. He didn't have to be a mind reader to know what Sam was thinking. "My heart is fine Sam. I promise."

Sam was about to come back with an effective argument when Dean stopped. Sam whipped his head forward to see what stopped them. "Crap!"

Dean nodded his head as he looked at the dead end in front of them. "You know, just once it would be nice to catch a little break."

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Five minutes later Dean and Sam had doubled back and found another tunnel. The tunnels were filling up with heavier smoke now. Sam found himself holding Dean up more often and he was tiring now too. The thought of being trapped underground with the fire made a shiver run through him.

"This is ridiculous." Dean said. "This isn't a damn labyrinth. Why can't we find our way out?"

"Guess if we would have been conscious on the way down it wouldn't be a problem." Sam snapped.

"Wow, you're a real smart ass you know that?" Dean said. Truth be told he was pretty sure his body was going to refuse to listen to him any minute now. And the thought of him collapsing down there, leaving Sam to try and escape alone, tore his heart out. Dean Winchester was not a praying man. But at that moment, as he felt his own body betraying him, as he worried for his little brother's life, he wasn't above sending a quick one out to whoever would listen.

And for once it seemed someone was listening when Sam said, "This way looks familiar. I think we're close to the opening now."

"But not close enough." The voice boomed behind them.

Dean and Sam turned to face the spirit. Sam was already raising his gun as he turned but he didn't have a chance to fire. Within a second the boys were torn apart from each other by an invisible force, each being flung to opposite sides of the tunnel.

Dean let out a grunt as he forcefully hit the wall. His eyes darted to Sam to see if he was okay. As he watched, Sam flew into the wall, his head slamming back with a dull thud as it hit. Dean watched in horror as his brother's eyes closed and his head fell forward. Then his body slumped down to the ground.

"Sam!" Dean tried to go to him but the spirit was already in his face.

"You aren't going anywhere." The spirit told him.

Dean struggled against the force keeping him pinned. He had a terrible sense of deajavu. "Don't you demons know any other tricks than pinning someone against a wall." He spat out.

The spirit smiled. "You have a sharp tongue. Maybe I should remove it."

Dean laughed. "You're just pissed cause we won." As he spoke he was slowly pushing against the force with his right hand. Trying to get it to his back pocket where his small knife was. It wasn't big enough to kill the thing, but it was pure iron. It would sure get rid of it for a while.

"You haven't won anything boy. It doesn't matter that you've released the others. We have your brother. And soon, we are going to deliver him to the one who has marked him. We will be rewarded greatly."

Dean could feel his blood boiling over with anger. "You're not laying a hand on him you bastard! I'll burn this place to the ground with us in it before I let any of you have him!"

Dean was working frantically to get to the knife. The pressure on his arm only continued to increase as he tried to move. It felt as if his bone was going to snap any minute. But he pushed forward. Finally, his fingers brushed the top of his pocket.

"You're going to burn all right boy." The spirit said, oblivious to the fact that Dean was now pushing his arm forward, knife in hand.

Just as the spirit raised it's hand towards Dean's chest, the electricity already pouring forward, Dean sucked in a deep breath, and on the exhale he pushed with all his might. With a yell he shoved his arm forward, the knife hitting it's target. The spirit hissed at Dean before vanishing. Dean immediately fell to his knees.

"Dean?"

Dean's head snapped up to see Sam coming around. Sam reached up and rubbed the back of his head, wincing. Dean crawled to him.

"You okay?" He asked Sam as he ran his hand behind Sam's head.

"Yeah. Any blood?"

Dean showed Sam his hand. "No."

"Good, I hate getting stitches." Sam said. "Where'd it go?"

"It's gone for the moment. Let's go, we're almost there." Dean said forcing himself up. Once he was standing he reached a hand down to Sam.

Sam laughed. "Dude, I can get up. You try and help we'll just both fall down again."

"Fine. Next time I'll just leave your ass here." Dean snapped and turned to start walking.

Sam sighed and heaved himself off the ground. Everything spun for a minute, but then he was able to move. "I didn't mean it like that Dean." He called out to his brother. Why was it Dean could refuse help but he couldn't?

"Come on man, I'm sorry." Sam said. "I just didn't want to put any strain on you."

Dean stopped. He hadn't really gotten that far. "Hurry up Sam. We need to get moving before the smoke gets any thicker." That was as close to an apology that he was going to give.

Sam nodded. He knew his brother's secret code. Sam looked behind him. The smoke was really starting to billow out now. He only hoped that the fire would extinguish itself before it got too out of hand. Who knew how much they were going to destroy by lighting it.

Sam caught up with Dean in a few steps. They were both moving too slowly. "Dean, you think we're going to grow old?" Sam asked.

Dean gave him a surprised look. "Where did that come from?"

Sam sighed. "It's just...look at our lives. It seems like everyday we're almost dying. And everyday it just gets closer and closer. I just wonder sometimes if I'm going to live to be an old man."

"Don't worry Sam. You're going to live to be a _decrepid _old man. Me on the other hand, no matter how old I get, I'll still good looking." Dean said smiling.

"Ha ha Dean."

They rounded another corner and both stopped, releasing a sigh of relief. They had made it. The gate was right in front of them.

"It's about time." Dean said. They walked to the gate. Dean knew he didn't have the strength to try and pry it open. "Uh Sam?"

Sam got what he was trying to say. "Yeah, I got it." He stepped ahead of his brother and began pulling at the gate. "It won't move!"

Dean was leaning back against the wall. "Then load the gun with real bullets and blow it open." He said.

"I think I like your suggestion of burning down here." The spirit hissed at Dean as it appeared before him.

Without warning it shot it's hands out at him and hit him with the full force of it's electric jolt. Dean couldn't stop the cry of pain that escaped him.

"Dean!" Sam shouted. "Get away from him!" As Sam scrambled for the gun, he watched in horror as his brother slumped to the ground unconscious. "No!" Sam fired the gun and the spirit was gone.

He made a move to get to Dean, but the second spirit appeared. "You're going to meet your new master Sam." It said.

"Go to hell!" Sam shouted. He was about to pull the trigger when the first spirit reappeared. They stood in front of him, showing no fear of his gun or the rounds of rock salt within it.

Sam felt a moment of dread. Something in the back of his mind told him there was no getting out of this one. Dean was wrong. They weren't going to live to be old men. But he sure as hell was going to go out without a fight. He owed that to Dean and to his Father. He was a Winchester after all.

Just as Sam was about to make his stand the spirits began to flicker. With horrified looks on their faces they shouted in pain. Sam watched as they began to dissipate. After a few seconds they finally tore apart and nothing but ashes fell the floor.

"Looks like the fire finally found their bones." Dean said weakly.

Sam's attention snapped to Dean. His brother was still lying on his back on the ground, but his head was turned toward Sam.

"Dean." Sam breathed.

"You okay?" Dean rasped.

"I'm good." They both looked to the gate as they heard a click and then it swung open with a shrill squeak. Sam turned back to Dean. "Better now."

Dean smiled and nodded, then closed his eyes.

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Dean found himself walking through the grass in the cemetery, the sun shining warmly on his back. The day was beautiful. It was warm with a gentle breeze. The birds were chirping in the trees. It was completely peaceful.

He walked toward the short brick wall that bordered the area. He smiled warmly at the little boy who was already sitting there and took a seat next to him.

"Hey kid." Dean greeted.

Little Sam turned his face toward Dean. But this time, instead of sad haunted eyes Dean saw happiness. Sam smiled brightly, his eyes lighting up.

"Thank you." He said to Dean.

"You're welcome."

"I'm free to go home now." Sam said. "We all are."

Dean nodded. He couldn't help the curiosity that over took him. "So where is it that you are going?"

Little Sam smiled. "I'm not supposed to tell you. You can't know because you can't come yet."

Dean smiled back. "I guess I didn't expect any other kind of answer." He said mostly to himself.

"I'm supposed to tell you that you are doing a good job. And that you and your brother have a hard fight ahead of you, but you can win. And if you stick together you will win." Little Sam's brow furrowed as he spoke, trying to remember exactly what he was supposed to say. He smiled. "I'm also supposed to tell you that they are very proud of both you and your brother."

Dean blinked. "Who told you this?"

Little Sam smiled and bounced down from the wall. He turned to Dean and said, "Thank you." Then he turned and walked started walking away.

Dean jumped down from the wall and followed. "Wait! Who told you to tell me that!" But as soon as he caught up with the little boy he simply smiled and disappeared. "Wait!"

00000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Wait!" Dean shouted and he reached forward.

"Dean? Dean wake up!" Sam grabbed Dean's shoulders holding him still until he knew Dean realized what was happening.

Dean opened his eyes only to see Sam's face inches from his. "Dude, back off." Sam moved back a little and Dean looked around. "What are we doing in the Impala?" He asked Sam.

Sam rubbed a hand through his hair. "The fire finally got the bones of the cultists. But you were out man. Have been for about an hour. I had to drag you back here."

Dean looked hard at his brother. Sam looked exhausted and the way his face was pinched Dean could see that he was in pain. He looked around and noticed the car was pulled over on the side of the road. "Why aren't we moving? What's wrong Sam?"

"Nothing. I just kinda needed a break."

Dean wasn't buying it. They were both hurt. Sam would never just sit on the side of the road if he had a choice. He would have had them at a hotel some where patching both of them up. If he could.

"What's wrong with you?" Dean asked.

"I'm fine Dean. You're the one who's been out cold. You're the one who got electrocuted twice. You're the one I'm worried about."

"Yeah, I feel like shit. So what's wrong with _you_?"

"Fine." Sam sighed. "I got a little dizzy and the road was blurry. I figured I'd pull over a minute so I didn't crash."

"Damn it Sam. You've got a concussion." Dean said, forcing himself to sit up more. "Get out and come around here. I'll drive."

Sam laughed. "Number one, yeah, I have a concussion. Number two, if you think you're in any better shape to drive, then I think you hit your head harder."

"We can't sit here all night." Dean said.

"Didn't plan on it. Now that you're awake you can help me drive. The motel isn't that far."

Sam started up the engine and pulled out. His head was throbbing painfully, but thankfully the dizziness had finally passed. The double vision was also gone, but everything was still a bit blurry.

Dean stared straight ahead, keeping an eye for any obstacle. His mind kept going back to the dream. Or whatever it was. What had the kid meant, they are proud of you?

"Penny for your thoughts." Sam said as he pulled into the motel parking lot. Dean didn't reply. "What were you dreaming about Dean? Or did you have another vision?" Sam asked cautiously.

Dean turned his head to his brother. "Ah...the kid came back to say thanks...and to say..." He paused. "Ah hell Sam. It was just a dream."

But Sam pushed on. "What did he say Dean? Is it over?"

"Yeah Sam, don't worry it's over." Dean said.

Sam didn't have to be psychic to know that Dean was holding something back. "What did he say Dean?"

Dean gave a slight laugh. "Man this has been a weird case. I don't know how you deal with your visions Sam. How do you make sense out of anything?"

"I'm just happy I don't get them that often." Sam said. He knew if he was patient enough Dean would eventually tell him what happened.

"He had a message. He said he was supposed to tell me that you and me have to stick together and we can win. And that...that someone was proud of us."

Sam's eyebrows raised. "Like a message from beyond? From who?"

"I don't know Sam. But it was almost like...I don't know it felt like..."

"Like it was from Dad." Sam finished, tears already welling up in his eyes.

Dean swallowed hard. "We don't know that Sam. I mean, the demon at the crossroads said that Dad was in..."

"Demons lie." Sam interrupted. "Come on." Sam opened the door and got out, swiping at his tears as he walked to their room.

Once inside both boys simply collapsed on their beds with loud sighs.

"Demons lie Dean. They just like to hurt people."

"I know that Sam."

"But the little boy, he was good. He wasn't a demon. Do you think...I mean...maybe"

"I don't know Sam." Dean said.

They were both very quiet for a long time. Dean thought Sam had finally fell asleep when he heard.

"Maybe Dad _is_ with Mom. Maybe they are watching us and they are proud. Maybe it _was_ them that sent the message through the boy." Sam said.

Dean could hear the hope and longing in his brother's voice. He had no idea what any of it meant. Ever since his Dad died he was finding that all of his beliefs were being challenged. Now, he had no idea what was possible. But he didn't want to dash Sam's hopes.

So he said, "Maybe Sam. Maybe."

THE END!


End file.
